Every Rose Has It’s Thorns…And Every Hard Rock Album Has It’s Ballad…The Economics Of The Love Song…And The Songs The Fans Love To Hate…

Detroit Rock City…King Of The Night Time World…God Of Thunder…Shout It Out Loud…and…Beth?... Kiss’ 1976 album “Destroyer” provided us with many future Kiss classics…and was one of the first in what was seen as an alarming trend for hard rock and heavy metal…The Power Ballad….

Out of the chorus where we’re screaming “Shout It Shout It Shout It Out Loud!...” the song fades and you’re all pumped up and the next thing you hear is…strings…and an orchestra…and you’re thinking…did I change the record?…so you look at the album cover…and it says “Beth”… and the voice you hear is not Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons…but Peter Criss… and you find yourself listening to it and your only reaction is “What the Hell were they thinking??…”  Of course they shook their head even more at the release of the disco tinged “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”…but I digress…

This is not an uncommon reaction in hard rock…actually it’s the norm.  You can look on any recording by a hard rock/heavy metal band [with maybe a few exceptions…like Slayer or Pantera…] and you will find the requisite power ballad.  Is it yet again, recording label machinations? Is the band selling out? Or is there something going on that could be a proven way to move album units?  Each band has their own story and/or excuses.  But the fact remains that the best way for a hard rock band to get radio airplay is to write a ballad to send to radio. 

When people heard “Beth” [which was the B-side to the single “Detroit Rock City”, and according to Simmons, purposefully put there so the rock station had to play the A-side], they went out and bought Destroyer and immediately realized that the song was the exception, not the rule.  Those that were looking for “Beth” II either were sorely disappointed by not finding it, or got into was is arguably one of the best hard rock records made.  The album went on to be Kiss’ first platinum release.  And the ballad was one of the factors that helped put it over the top. “Beth”, after listeners began calling radio stations to play the song, was released as the 4^th single from the album, and reached #7 on the Billboard chart.

It may not happen on the first record, but somewhere down the line the band will release the “ballad” and their whole universe will change.  Suddenly the A&R guys that signed them for being a rock band want them to start pumping out ballads on every record to appeal to the female crowd [and that’s the perspective of the labels, not mine…], and the pressure to succeed can be the undoing of the band.

Two negative things can potentially happen.  The first is that the band cannot recreate the single that got them on the charts, and after dwindling sales numbers the band will then be dropped from the label and in most cases be in a whole lot of debt from the advance they spent already while making the album.  The second is that the musicians in the band are frustrated with the new direction the label is forcing upon them, and they then quit the band and it all falls apart.  Both of these scenarios have happened over and over…

An example of the former is Florida band Saigon Kick.  Saigon Kick became a victim of it’s own success after the release of the second record “The Lizard”.  The single “Love Is On The Way” helped bring gold status to the album and after releasing two more albums that sold in a less than stellar fashion, that  didn’t contain a radio friendly hit, Saigon Kick was dropped from their label Third Stone.  [During the recording of their third record “Water” they lost their lead singer, Matt Kramer, over financial issues too…]

An example of the latter is Styx…Back in 1979 the pomp-rock band Styx released what was their first #1 single in the form of “Babe”…and with the exception of Dennis DeYoung, who wrote it, the band hated it.  It was the first of many directions the band took to be more pop-single oriented and eventually led to the demise of the band [That and the tour for Kilroy Was Here…], but it also produced the 3^rd of 4 platinum selling albums in a row.  From “Babe” to “The Best Of Times” to “Don’t Let It End” to…the end… What’s even more peculiar is that the song that got them airplay several years after it’s release in 1972 was the song “Lady”…another ballad…which charted in 1975 and started the band on it’s way to success.  Such a fickle thing success…everybody wants it…nobody wants to admit they want it…and so it goes…

Regardless of what you read in the press, a lot of bands are thankful for their hit single, as it allowed them to continue and do more with their music.  Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big called their hit single “To Be With You” a blessing.  It sold a lot of records and allowed the band to do what they do best…rock and roll.  And when it comes to those “Big 80’s Weekends…” you will more than likely hear “To Be With You”…and “Love Song” from Tesla…and sadly “Every Rose Has It’s Thorns” from Poison.  But at the end of the day they get the residual revenue from the airplay…so the song keeps making them money. 

And that’s the rub…rock bands don’t want a ballad so they’re not considered wimpy…but everyone has one…so why worry about it.  And if it charts it sells…  Shinedown is a great example of a band that put out something more radio friendly without taking away from their sound in the form of the single “If You Only Knew”…great writing on that track and a great hook.  Sometimes that’s all it takes…

San Francisco band Night Ranger had [in their 80’s incarnation] two of the best guitarists out there in the form of Jeff Watson and Brad Gillis [Gillis took over for the departed Randy Rhoads in Ozzy’s band after the tragedy…and also played on the heavy metal “USA For Africa” called “Hear ‘N Aid”…], but what song are they known for?...Sister Christian of course.  Watson can play an 8-finger finger tap…that’s not exactly simple[watch the video for “You Can Still Rock In America” to see it…]…and Gillis is the king of the whammy bar.  But they are known for a song that starts out with acoustic piano and then builds.  Joel Hoekstra is now the guitarist in place of Watson, and he and Gillis are still out there jamming, of course when they get to the encore…they take a break…

Extreme had an increase in sales for their second record “Extreme II – Pornograffiti” due to their ballad…  now with a title like that…the easy listening stations are not going to come calling…and with the first track being the explosive “Decadence Dance”…they weren’t going to add it to their playlists either…but when the radio started playing what it considered a “love” song in the form of “More Than Words”…the album took off.  I had the pleasure of speaking to Gary Cherone on the tour for this record and his only thoughts were that if they buy the album and just want the song that’s up to them.  But if they buy the album and get into something different by hanging on and listening, then they are able to expand their audience.  The album also includes an actual love song called “Hole Hearted” complete with the upbeat acoustic guitars, so if they bought it and didn’t like the band, they at least got two songs out of it. 

Phil Collen of Def Leppard has been quoted as saying he hates playing the ballads.  And yet he can’t argue songs like “Bringin’ On The Heartbeak” and “Love Bites” have become such a part of the catalog, and definite chart makers for the band.  Bon Jovi, arguably not the hardest of rock bands, learned early that the ballad will keep the record moving, be it “Never Say Goodbye” off Slippery When Wet or “Always” off Cross Road.

Another way to get radio airplay is to have a “radio mix” for the song so that it takes away some of the edge.  Warrant had a radio mix for “Heaven”, and Whitesnake took “Here I Go Again” and added more keyboards and a different guitar solo to attain more airplay.  Again, this is not an unusual event.  But if there is way to sanitize a hard rock song to make it more palatable to the masses..it will happen, and usually with mixed results…

So…what is my take on all this…?  Well, ironically the ballads don’t bother me so much.  Some are just really bad in my opinion [I’m not a fan of G’NR’s “Patience”…] and some really stand out.  And if there wasn’t an audience for it…you wouldn’t be able to buy “Monster Ballads” in a 4 CD set now would you?...

So…from Nazareth’s “Love Hurts” to Black Sabbath’s “No Stranger To Love” to Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home” to Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorns”…every hard rock song has it’s ballad…and that’s just the economics of survival in the music industry… “Beth I hear you calling…”…

Thanks for coming along for the ride…

J.

I Close My Eyes…and I Hear Music...I Open My Eyes And Think…Who The Hell Is That Up There?...What’s In A Name… New Stuff, Old New Stuff [Songs for the geriatric crowd…], And Stuff In General…

John, Paul, George and Ringo…Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham… Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon.  Collectively they are obviously known as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Who.  There is a reverence to the line-up, and a general consensus that if one person were missing, the band would no longer exist.  Would it be the same with John, Paul, George and Fluffy?  Or maybe if we replaced Robert Plant with Paul Rogers of Bad Company [as Queen did…]?  It just wouldn’t be the same in the eyes of the fans.  Now to be factually correct after the death of Keith Moon The Who did replace him with Kenny Jones of the Faces…but the hard core audience said it was never the same… 

But change in music is constant.  And sadly there are very few bands that can claim only one specific line-up throughout their careers.  This doesn’t make it bad or good, it’s just the way it has always been.  Rush is known as the power trio of Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson.  But Peart was actually a replacement for drummer John Rutsey, who left after recording the first album.  Now no one will argue that having Peart in the band didn’t increase the quality of the songwriting or performing, but he wasn’t the first one there.  Now this is one instance in my opinion that without one of them Rush doesn’t exist…but 18 out of 19 studio albums and 7 live albums will do that… Styx’s “Classic” line-up is Dennis DeYoung on keyboards, James “JY” Young on guitar, Tommy Shaw on guitar, John Panozzo on drums, and his twin brother Chuck Panozzo on bass.  But they created 5 albums with John Curelewski [R.I.P] on guitar before they found Tommy Shaw.  They then went on to produce a record 4 platinum albums in a row.  A feat at the time that was unprecedented. So change can be good.  We’ve seen change bring out the best in some bands and eventually lead to their demise because the fans didn’t catch on.

The reason for today’s rant is that there are a few new albums out and/or coming out by bands that have been around for a while, and they’ve been through so many line-up changes that it makes you wonder how they keep it consistent, but they do, and the results are a lot better than expected.  The biggest challenge for a band is not always replacing the guitarist, or the bassist or the drummer.  It’s the singer that’s hard to find to keep the momentum going…

I’ll throw out some names for you and you can figure out which band they belong to….  Arnel Pineda, Kelly Hansen, Benoit David, Brian Howe, Robin McAuley, Tim “Ripper” Owens, Blaze Bayley, and Ray Wilson. 

These men will have either made or broke the band, and each had levels of success, but they are the voice you hear.  Back when David Lee Roth left Van Halen some fans thought it was the end of the world.  But Sammy Hagar stepped in and [for better or worse, depending on your opinion…] revitalized the band and gave it a new direction.  And they did well with him there.  When Gary Cherone [of Extreme] stepped in after Hagar left it was a disaster in both the fans and the critics eyes.  I personally liked Van Halen III with Gary on vocals, but I’m the minority here.   And what’s not widely known is that Eddie Van Halen approached Patty Smythe of Scandal to join VH before Hagar, so it would have been completely different.  [And if you haven’t heard Hagar’s project  with Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith called “Chickenfoot”…you NEED to pick this one up…!]

So how did you do on the pop quiz…here are the answers…

Singer: Arnel Pineda - Replacement of: Steve Perry [By way of Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto] - Band: Journey

Arnel is the current singer on the new Journey release “Eclipse”.  He also sang on the album Revelation.  His biggest challenge is that the fans want Steve Perry back, but that’s not an option [due to physical challenges and the ultimate bad blood that came with it…] Now for the record he does an excellent job on the old songs and the new songs really stand out.  Since Perry was their 3^rd singer [After Robert Fleishman and Gregg Rolie, whom he shared vocals with early on] you would think that the fans would be more accepting, but some are just stuck on the idea that he needs to sing “Don’t Stop Believin’ “ perfectly. [Here’s another touch of reality…Perry can’t do it perfectly either…]  Steve Augeri replaced Steve Perry, and Jeff Scott Soto replaced Steve Augeri before Pineda joined the band…

Singer: Kelly Hansen – Replacement of: Lou Gramm [by way of Johnny Edwards] -  Band: Foreigner

Kelly started out as the singer for the heavy metal band Hurricane.  He went on to do several different projects and also appeared on Unruly Child’s third record “Waiting For The Sun”.  He was chosen to take over lead vocals in Foreigner in 2005 and has been with them since.  He made his studio recording debut on the 2008 compilation “No End In Sight – The Very Best Of Foreigner with a new track “Too Late, and an excellent acoustic reworking of “Say You Will”. His only full album so far is the 2009 release “Can’t Slow Down”.  He also appears on the two “Extended Versions” live CD’s. [The first was from 2006]  Kelly has a great voice, and the old songs are stronger than when Lou Gramm was in the band the last time [He left the band in 1989 and was replaced by Johnny Edwards for the album “Unusual Heat”, Gramm then returned in 1992 until 2003].   “Can’t Slow Down” is a solid record, and the band they have now is just as talented as the original gang. They are great live. It’s classic rock, but it works…

Singer: Benoit David – Replacement of: Jon Anderson [By way of Trevor Horn] -  Band: Yes

To be fair, Yes had had a revolving door on their members since their third album “The Yes Album” in 1971, when Steve Howe took over for Peter Banks on guitar.  However, with the exception of 2 Yes albums, Jon Anderson has been the voice of Yes.  The first record that Anderson was not a part of was the 1980 release Drama, which was released to mixed reviews since Rick Wakeman had been replaced by Geoff Downes and Jon Anderson was replaced by Trevor Horn.  Horn and Downes were the duo The Buggles [with their hit “Video Killed The Radio Star”…]  The album itself is in my opinion a very strong release, but due to Horn not being able to sing as high as Anderson on the tour, Yes once again fell apart until the 1983 album “90125” [And that lineup was different too!...]  Now…back to Benoit David. When Jon Anderson was hospitalized for acute respiratory failure, he was instructed to not work for at least 6 months.  The band decided to continue and found David in a Yes tribute band called “Close To The Edge”.  Ironically Arnel Pineda of Journey was chosen by Neal Schon because of his work with the Journey tribute band The Zoo.  In 2009, David was made an official replacement for Anderson, much to Anderson’s chagrin.  Keyboardist Oliver Wakeman had been filling in for his dad, Rick, and was also made a permanent member.  Now the second record with a new singer “Fly From Here” featuring Benoit David will be released on July 12, 2011.  As to how he sounds…YouTube videos of the band touring show him doing an excellent job filling Anderson’s shoes.  So we’ll see.  Incidentally, keyboardist Geoff Downes [who left Yes to form Asia] is back with Yes, and is the keyboardist for the new record.   And so another chapter begins, and the lengthy list of Yes members, present and former, continues to grow…

Singer: Brian Howe – Replacement of: Paul Rogers [by way of Robert Hart…and Paul Rogers] - Band: Bad Company

The original Bad Company broke up in 1982 after the release of “Rough Diamonds”.  After a few years on hiatus, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke set out to start a new project.  Due to record label demands they were forced to use the name Bad Company, as the label wanted instant recognition for the band.  With Paul Rogers working with Jimmy Page in The Firm, they found ex-Ted Nugent singer Brian Howe to fill his shoes.  Howe had more of a straight ahead rock voice, versus Rogers’ bluesy voice.  They managed to create 4 studio albums with Howe, although after the second one, “Dangerous Age” the band traveled separately from Howe, the tensions between them began to grow.  Since Howe couldn’t secure a solo deal, he stayed with Bad Co. for the remaining 2 records.  With Howe in the band, they secured 2 Gold [“Dangerous Age” and “Here Comes Trouble”] and one Platinum album [“Holy Water”], and charted a handful of singles [No Smoke Without A Fire, One Night, If You Needed Somebody, How About That…]  Howe did eventually go solo and was replaced by ex-Distance vocalist Robert Hart.  The band would then see Paul Rogers return to the fold in 2008 to tour.  They have a new release “Live At Wembly” out on June 28^th, with original members Paul Rogers, Mick Ralphs, and Simon Kirke. [original bassist Boz Burrell passed away in 2006.] Howard Leese from Heart joins the lineup and Lynn Sorenson covers the bass guitar. 

Singer: Robin McAuley – Replacement of: Jimi Jamison [who replaced Dave Bickler] -  Band: Survivor

After the massive success of “Eye Of The Tiger” and it’s lesser selling follow-up “Caught In The Game, compounded by continued vocal problems for original vocalist Dave Bickler, the band replaced Bickler for the next record, “Vital Signs” with former Cobra vocalist Jimi Jamison.  This started a three record success story for the band with it’s follow up “When Seconds Count” and “Too Hot To Sleep”.  After going on hiatus, they reformed in 1993 to record two new songs for a greatest hits record, but Jamison jumped ship to tour, and he was replaced by original vocalist Dave Bickler for the greatest hits package.  Bickler was fired in 2000, and they reformed again in with Jamison and put out a new record in 2006 called “Reach”. [with six of the songs sung by Bickler]  Jamison then jumped ship again, this time being replaced by Robin McAuley.  McAuley is no stranger to replacing vocalists, as he replaced original Grand Prix vocalist Bernie Shaw for their second record. Shaw went on to Uriah Heep, and McAuley created three albums with Michael Schenker under the moniker McAuley Schenker Group.  McAuley then put out a solo record, “Business As Usual” and then became the replacement singer for Survivor, and is technically their third vocalist.  As of now no recordings with McAuley have been released, but he continues to tour in the capacity of vocalist.  Got it?...

Singer: Tim “Ripper” Owens – Replacement of: Rob Halford [who replaced Al Atkins] - Band: Judas Priest

It’s the stuff films are made of [and one was made about this one…it’s called Rock Star starring Mark Wahlberg, and is VERY loosely based on this story…]  Lead singer of one of the most successful heavy metal bands in the world, Halford left the band officially in 1992, and in 1996 was replaced by Judas Priest tribute band singer Tim “Ripper” Owens.  Owens’ band was called British Steel.  He put out two studio and two live recordings with Priest, but couldn’t capture the magic of Halford.  Jugulator, the first record sold well, but it’s follow up did not.  Faced with the demand for a reunion, Judas Priest reunited with Halford for the “Metalology” box set in 2003 and put out a new record in 2005 called “Angel Of Retribution”.  They continue to tour and record with Halford, who took over vocal duties for the band originally in 1973, replacing original vocalist Al Atkins, before anything was recorded.  Owens went on to join Iced Earth, and worked with Yngwie Malmsteen.  Incidentally, Judas Priest has since distanced itself from the movie “Rock Star” citing too many differences in the actual storyline…but that’s Hollywood…

Singer: Blaze Bayley – Replacement of: Bruce Dickenson [who replaced Paul Di’Anno] – Band: Iron Maiden

Auditioning in September,  1981, from the band Samson, was Bruce Dickinson, who would replace Paul Di’Anno for the “Number Of The Beast” album.  Di’Anno recorded “Iron Maiden” and “Killers” with the band, and the band fired him citing destructive behavior, which Di’Anno denied.  He was released from the band in 1981.  Dickenson went on to front Iron Maiden and the band broke world wide as one of the most successful heavy metal bands in the world.  Dickinson stayed with the band until 1993, and then left to perform solo.  After an exhaustive search, the band recruited Blaze Bailey, of the band Wolfsbane.  Bailey had a completely different vocal style than Dickenson, and his reception from the fans was lukewarm at best.  After the second record “Virtual XI”, the first Iron Maiden record to not sell 1 million copies worldwide, the band and Blaze parted company by mutual consent.  Dickinson would then rejoin Iron Maiden for the record “Brave New World” and most recently received a Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance for their song “El Dorado” off their 15^th release “The Final Frontier”.  So, sometimes it’s best to dance with the one that brought you…

Singer: Ray Wilson – Replacement of: Phil Collins [who replaced Peter Gabriel] – Band: Genesis

If anyone was behind the 8-ball to start it was Ray Wilson, of the band Stiltskin, who was hired to replace Phil Collins for Genesis’ 1997 release “Calling All Stations”. With Collins wanting to work on other projects and other types of music, remaining members [they also had personnel shifts over the years…] Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks elected to carry on with a new singer. After auditioning several vocalists [Including Paul Carrack of Rutherford’s Mike + The Mechanics, Francis Dunnery of It Bites, and Fish from Marillion], the band decided on Ray Wilson.  An audition was offered to Kevin Gilbert of the band Toy Matinee, but sadly, Gilbert passed away in 1996.  Due to poor sales in America of “Calling All Stations” [which is a good record, if you really listen to it…], the European tour was truncated and the American tour was cancelled.  Wilson was then dismissed.  Rutherford and Banks then went on hiatus.  Wilson regretted his position with the band, citing his working class roots not mixing with the upper class wealth of Rutherford and Banks, and Collins was not happy with them continuing without him.  Collins would then reunite with Genesis for the release of their box set, and a 1999 re-recording of the song “The Carpet Crawlers” for their “Turn It On Again: The Hits” compilation.  He would continue working with Genesis and toured in 2007, producing the live record “Live Over Europe”. 

Some made it…some broke it…some couldn’t fix what was broken.  Either way it’s sometimes strange to hear a band play a song differently than you remember it.  There are two schools of thought for a replacement singer.  Either find a clone to hit all the notes and keep with the success of the band, or hire a completely different singer with a different style and re-invent the band.  Marillion was successful with the latter after replacing Fish after 4 records, with Steve Hogarth, who brought new life to the band and still continues with them since 1989.  It’s different, but equally good, and in some cases better…but the fans will still argue over that…

As I said, with so many changes in members, it has become rare that a definitive line-up is the only one people accept.  But at least we didn’t end up with John, Paul, George, and Fluffy…

New Stuff…

Journey – Eclipse – The second album with Arnel Pineda on vocals following the platinum selling Revelation.  This is a real rock record, with guitarist Neal Schon up in the mix, and the production by Kevin Shirley is tight as ever.  This record allows Pineda to stretch out more.  He’s not just trying sound like Perry as he did on Revelation, and his diction has improved [my wife can’t stand to hear him sing…his accent, albeit slight, is too distracting for her…].  If you’re looking for “Don’t Stop Believin’ II” on this record, you won’t find it. But what you will find is and excellently written and performed rock album from one of the most successful bands in the world.  The songwriting is solid and the whole album is very cohesive, so you’re not listening to it wondering when the next single is coming on.  It’s worth checking out.  

Black Country Communion – Black Country Communion 2 – The sophomore album from this rock supergroup features vocals from Glenn Hughes [Trapeze, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath], guitar from blues great Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham [Bonham, Foreigner, Virginia Wolf, Airrace, Led Zeppelin] and keyboards from Derek Sherinian [Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, Playtypus] The first record is a solid piece of blues/ hard rock.  The follow-up is much more a hard rock album, and allows the band to stretch out a little bit and give each other a chance to really shine.  The record itself is more cohesive, as if the band is finally comfortable in their own shoes.  Produced by Kevin Shirley, this is one of the best rock releases of this year so far. 

New [Old] live stuff for you to sink your teeth into…

Def Leppard – Mirror Ball – Taken from the “Sparkle Lounge” Tour this record covers all the bases and is basically a “Greatest Hits Live” with 3 new tracks.   The first new track “Undefeated” went to #1 on the Rock charts.  And it’s a steal at Wal-Mart for $11.88 for a 3 disc set [Disc 3 is videos and live performances].   What’s missing [and what really bothers me] is Wasted from “On Through The Night”, Slang or Work It Out from “Slang”, Promises or Paper Sun from “Euphoria” and Now or Long, Long Way To Go, from “X”.  I know they want to give their fans something live after all these years, but they basically cut out 10 years of recording [lest we forget, Def Lep records every 2-3 years on average…] a good live record, and you would expect nothing less from this band.

Whitesnake – Live At Donington 1990 – Taken from their 1990 performance at the Castle Donington at the Monsters Of Rock [now Download] Festival.  The line-up for this record is David Coverdale on vocals, Adrian Vandenberg on guitars, Steve Vai on guitars, Rudy Sarzo on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums.  This same band [minus Vandenberg due to a medical condition in his hand] also recorded the album “Slip Of The Tongue”.  It’s a great slice of live hard rock with Coverdale singing at his best and leaving room for the guitar solos of Vai and Vandenberg.  The band is tight and the songs really kick.  And it’s a fun listen for those that were around when this band really started their meteoric rise to commercial success.  The song list is predominantly from the last three records,  “Slide It In”, “Whitesnake” and “Slip Of The Tongue”.  This will not disappoint even the casual fan. 

Foreigner – Extended Versions II – Yes, there already was an Extended Versions release for Foreigner back in 2006, so why put out another one…the answer was simple…to capitalize on new material.  What happened was that Foreigner, with new singer Kelly Hansen [and in fact a whole new band with the exception of founding member Mick Jones], put out a new record in 2009 called “Can’t Slow Down”.  They then toured all over Europe and America in support of the record.  The label in Europe recorded and released a double live disc from their show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.  This was only available as an import.  Sony, the bands label, took a portion of this recording and released a single disc of live material and in their infinite wisdom and show of major marketing savvy, released it with the bland title of…Exteneded Versions II.  [Sony has put out Extended Versions for over 50 artists now.  It’s basically a cost effective way to put out a live album of mixed material] .  The songs are tight live and the new line-up [w/Jeff Pilson from Dokken on bass, Thom Gimbel from Jon Butcher on sax/guitars, and Brian Tichy from Pride And Glory [and now Whitesnake] on drums] does a great job on these classic songs.  There are two tracks from the new album but the rest is classic Foreigner.  [and…it’s only $5 at your local Wal-Mart…]

Coming Soon…[to a medium near you…]

Yes – Fly From Here – Benoit David’s debut as Yes’ new singer, combined with the Drama lineup of Steve Howe on guitars, Chris Squire on bass, Geoff Downes on keys, and Alan White on drums.  I have heard the first single, “Fly From Here” [which in itself is a old song that Yes played in concert on the Drama tour, written by Downes and Trevor Horn, and ending up on the re-release of the Buggles “Adventures In Modern Recording”… got all that?] And from what I have heard it’s going to be a solid album with David sounding more like Trevor Horn than Jon Anderson.  I am a huge fan of the Drama album and line-up so I am looking very forward to this release.  Out in North America on July 12…

Queensryche – Dedicated To Chaos – Out June 28^th…  - Queensryche returns with a follow up to 2009’s “American Soldier”.  I’ve heard the first single “Get Started” and it’s pretty straight forward rock, and a lot less progressive than some of their other material.  Reviews I’ve read so far are mixed, but they’ve always put out consistently solid records so I’m going to wait to dive into the whole record before deciding on it.  While Kelly Gray and Damon Johnson [Brother Cane/Slave To The System] played guitars on “American Soldier”, new guitarist for this release is Parker Lundgren, from the Seattle band Sledgeback, and Geoff Tate solo.  Lundgren is also singer Geoff Tate’s son-in-law…

David Cook – This Loud Morning – Out June 28^th.  This highly anticipated sophomore album from Season 7 American Idol winner David Cook will have a lot of expectations attached to it.  Cook’s first record was a solid piece of rock and roll, and I anticipate this release to continue trending that way.  The first single, “The Last Goodbye” is catchy and has a really solid hook.  I enjoyed the first record.  I hope this one fares just as well.  Cook also recorded a version of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me” for American Idol, which unfortunately does not appear on this record, looks like I’ll get stuck buying the single…

…And I’m still waiting on the release date of Rush’s “Clockwork Angels…but…there is new Dream Theater, with new drummer Mike Mangini, out on September 13^th…

Thanks for coming along for the ride…

J.

I’m Just A Singer In A Rock & Roll Band… But I’m The One With The Actual Contract… A Cautionary Tale... Earworms & New Stuff…

Let me begin by saying that I’m a huge music fan…but not a fan of the music business.  It’s the business part that makes it icky for me.  If everyone in the world were altruistic and always looking out for their fellow man half the stuff we hear about concerning the shady tactics of record companies or bands would not be happening.  How many times have we heard about the record company taking advantage of the naivete’ of a new artist and making them sign a bad contract, effectively making them an indentured servant to the record label. 

Now I don’t think in every instance it is the label’s fault, as sometimes the artist doesn’t seek legal counsel before signing or is so desperate to sign that they don’t read the fine print.  But it’s the business part of the music business that disturbs me. 

Another very common situation in the industry is when the artist is under the control of someone else, be it their manager, parent, agent, promoter, or just someone they trust.   Regardless of whose spell they’re under, the outcome is usually catastrophic with respect to the stability of the band.  Sometimes the image that the band presents is much different than the reality behind it.  Our story begins here…

[and no…it’s not about Yoko Ono and The Beatles…Diana Ross & The Supremes…or Jessica Simpson and her Dad, Joe…]

Now regardless of which side you will take, or which side is the truth, the lesson in all of this is a] Read The Contract b] Have your entertainment lawyer Read The Contract c] Make sure your name is CLEARLY written on The Contract and d] Read The Contract…Again…before signing off on anything… At the very least.

Our subject today is a band called Paramore.  You may have heard of them.  They are a rock band formed in Franklin, TN in 2002 by Hayley Williams [Vocals], Josh Farro [Lead Guitar/Background Vocals], Zac Farro [Drums] and Jeremy Davis [Bass Guitar].  In the intervening years they have had a few minor lineup changes, but the crux of the dispute comes from Hayley Williams and the Farro Brothers.

They began as every other new artist out there, with management, the record label, and the producers helping them create a “product” that could be marketed to the masses.  They were successful.  Now a couple of things to know about this group as we continue is this:  They were signed to a major record label [Atlantic Records] but were distributed under the niche label Fueled By Ramen.  This was because the powers that be felt it would be better for the image of the band to be distanced from a major label giving them more indie credibility.  Also, in an effort to give them more word of mouth push, the record label decided against giving their first record “All We Know Is Falling” any major radio promotion.  The A&R [Artist & Repertoire] wanted the group to be discovered by the kids rather than having it shoved down their throats.  The album sold moderately but putting the band on packaged tours like Winter Go West and Warped over the next couple of years garnered the word of mouth that the label was looking for. 

Another piece of information regarding how the band was “signed” is this.  Hayley Williams was signed to a solo deal in 2003, but due to her not wanting to be marketed as a pop princess, she insisted that she wanted to perform alternative rock music, with a band… so the label acquiesced to this request and unbeknownst to the band…Williams was the only one on the contract.  But Paramore was off and running.

As the popularity of the band continued, focus on Lead Singer Hayley Williams began to be more and more specific, which would make sense given that she was the only one the record label was initially interested in anyway.  To them, the band was interchangeable, but Williams was not.  In an article with Kerrang! Magazine in 2007 Williams was made the focus of the interview.  Williams was stated as saying “the article was an untrue portrayal of the band, particularly because it focused on her as the main component”.  Sincere or not, she championed the “band” ethos and continues to do so to make sure the audience continues to view Paramore as a band, and not “Hayley Williams & Friends”… 

Following later in that year the band would explode worldwide with their album “Riot!” and sell more copies in the first week of that record than total sales of the first record to that point.  To date it has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, successfully releasing the singles “Misery Business”, “Hallelujah”, “CrushCrushCrush”, and “That’s What You Get”. 

In what would become the classic “He said, She said” argument, the pressures of the band and the popularity of their lead singer would begin to cause friction within the band.  Williams was everywhere, in the press, on the premier circuit, and in the paparazzo’s lenses.   The band would informally go from being “Paramore” to “Hayley Willams & Paramore” to just Hayley Williams [from Paramore] in the press.  Regardless of whether it was a conscious effort by the artist or the record label machinations, it did not bode well for the other founding members of the band, who would be viewed more as a backup band to their lead singer. 

After recording one more record “Brand New Eyes” in 2009 and a tour, founding members Josh and Zac Farro quit the band on December 18, 2010.  The band released a statement "A couple of months ago, Josh and Zac let us know they would be leaving the band after our show in Orlando last Sunday. None of us were really shocked. For the last year it hasn't seemed as if they wanted to be around anymore. We want Josh and Zac to do something that makes them happy and if that isn't here with us, then we support them finding happiness elsewhere. But we never for a second thought about leaving any of this behind." The post also stated that the remaining members had “no intention of disbanding.” A South American Tour was then confirmed. 

On his blog, Josh Ferro disputed the account, claiming that the band was "a manufactured product of a major-label." He further accused Hayley Williams of being manipulated by her management, treating the rest of the group as her solo project, and claimed she was the only member of the band who was signed to Atlantic Records, while her band mates were simply "riding on the coattails of her dream".

Organic alt-rock band or record label confection?  You decide.  I think that it’s probably a little of both.  I believe that Hayley Williams was sincere in wanting to keep it a band unit.  But I also have to believe that the powers that be are going to do what’s best for business regardless.  In the end the lesson is still this: no matter how sincere a band is when it begins it can very easily become controlled by the record company, management, or family, and the intentions of these entities doesn’t have much to do with loyalty or the pure creation of music, because everything has to have a bottom line.  This is why the music business is a “business”, and make no mistake…they will be the ones who reap the benefits. 

So make sure you Read The Contract!...

And now for something completely different… Earworms!...

What is an earworm, you ask?  An earworm is [Courtesy of Wikipedia…] a loan translation of the German Ohrwurm,  is a portion of a song or other music that repeats compulsively within one's mind, put colloquially as "music being stuck in one's head."

Use of the English translation was popularized by James Kellaris, a marketing researcher at the University of Cincinnati, and Daniel Levitin. Kellaris' studies demonstrated that different people have varying susceptibilities to earworms, but that almost everybody has been afflicted with one at some time or another.

The Official Earworm Synonym List includes alternative terms such as "music meme", "humsickness" , "repetunitis", "obsessive musical thought" and "tune wedgy."
I am particularly fond of the phrase “Tune Wedgy…”  but I digress..

Earworms can be caused by that particular catchy chorus running through your head ad-infinitum to the point where you either A] Buy the single, or B] put a contract hit out on the artist and songwriter [you may want to stick to A….]. With the advent of electronic distribution and samples, this is most common as you go to hear a piece of a song you are interested in and all you hear is the bridge, or the chorus, and so your brain doesn’t know where to go after that.  Great for marketing the song, bad for a brain tuned to The Rolling Stones and you’ve got Katy Perry’s “Waking Up In Vegas” careening through your mind. [Neither good nor bad…just different…]  Or you are trying to remember the melody to your most recent favorite song and the commercial jingle that was just on gets stuck in your head. Again, great for marketing, not so good for your unsuspecting brain.

Another way that you can be afflicted by earworms is when you only remember a small portion of a song, and the brain fills it in with random noises until you can pick up the lyric again.  A great example of this one is “Informer” by Canadian rapper Snow [That in itself an oxymoron…] All anyone really knows of the words because they are completely indecipherable is this… Informer…[da da da, random humming, da da da, more humming…] icky boom boom down.  I will now challenge you to sing all the correct words with the proper phrasing… didn’t think so… But I bet it’s stuck in your head later… You Are Welcome…

So…how do you deal with the earworms? Well there are a few ways.  One is to replace it with a different one.  Given the short attention spans we all suffer from as we get older that can’t be too unreasonable an option.  Although the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.  So while you are trying to eliminate Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” from your mind you may end up stuck with the “Macarena”… Not really a gain there is it?

The other option would be to share your curse with others, that way you can at least make others suffer as you have.  In order to do this you just randomly sing along out loud with your earworm until the person next to you catches on.  By that time, it’s too late, and they’ll be singing it in their head all day long.  My wife is particularly gifted in this area.  She will randomly sing the most bizarre stuff when I’m in the middle of doing something so that I’m stuck with it.  She finds such glee in doing that.  So I will randomly get her back.  Sometimes it’s with random show tunes.  Sometimes it’s with the earworm she just got out of her head, and had the misfortune of telling me what it was.  It’s all in good fun.

The positive side of the earworm is that earworms can be used for educational purposes.  From something as simple as creating a song to remember the alphabet that we are all familiar with [abcdefg, hijk, lmnop, qrs,tuv, wxyz…now I know my abc’s..next time won’t you sing with me…] to using earworm-type music in language learning to help memory retention on foreign words.  So there are some positives out there that have helped along the way.  For more information on the use of earworms in education you can go to http://earwormslearning.com . 

It’s not just about torturing the guy next to you by singing “If you like pina coladas..and getting caught in the rain” repeatedly until the melody of “Escape” by Rupert Holmes is jammed in his head for good…

Well…maybe it is…

Coming Soon To A [You Pick The Medium]…

April 5 - Songs for Japan by Various Artists, Rush – Moving Pictures [CD+DVD Audio-Deluxe Edition], Ray Davies – See My Friends, Smithereens – 2011, Hollywood Undead – American Tragedy, George Michael – The Lowdown, Asking Alexandria – Reckless And Relentless, Kingdom Come – Rendered Waters

April 12 – Alison Krauss & Union Station – Paper Airplane, Foo Fighters – Wasting Light, Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What, k.d. lang – Sing It Out Loud, Mana’ – Drama Y Luz, Elbow – Build A Rocket Boy!, Jessie J. – Who Are You, The Feelies – Here Before

April 19 – Glee Cast – Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers, Steve Miller Band – Let Your Hair Down, Gorillaz – The Fall, DJ Quik – Book Of David, Pendragon – Passion, Badlands – Badlands & Voodoo Highway [Remasters], Kimberly Caldwell – Without Regret, Asia – Live At The London Forum

April 26 – Emmylou Harris – Hard Bargain, Steve Earle – I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive, Rolling Stones – The Complete Singles [1971-2006], The Airborne Toxic Event – All At Once, Lynda Carter – Crazy Little Things, KFMDM – WTF?, Mike & The Mechanics – Road, Bowling For Soup – Fishin’ For Woos, Otep – Atavist, Savatage – Gutter Ballet [Reissue]

So…in closing…Read The Contract!... and when all else fails…accept the earworms… they like you too…

Thanks for coming along for the ride…see you soon.

J.

My Band Is Better Than Your Band…And I Just Hit Dislike On YouTube To Prove It...Guilty Pleasures And The Maintenance Of Image…

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” –

                                                          Shakespeare - Queen Gertrude, in Hamlet, act 3, sc. 2. l. 230

I had the opportunity to read some really inane posts on YouTube the other day as I was searching for a particular video.  I have spoken before about the concept that everything can have its own artistic merit, whether or not everyone likes it.  The challenge is just how stupid we can look when defending a certain genre, or artist.  The artists in question weren’t as important as the language and ferocity of the attitudes present.  It was that if you liked “X” artist you were cool, and if you liked “Y” artist you were stupid.  Artist “X” is a very successful heavy metal artist.  Artist “Y” is a very successful pop performer with a much younger demographic.  The person writing the post wanted to create a campaign to go onto artist “Y”s videos and dislike them, so that it received more dislikes than likes.  I think at the time I was more embarrassed than afraid.  You see the demographic of artist “X” is probably twice to three times the age of the demographic of artist “Y”.  That would indicate that an adult made these comments, and actually wanted to waste his time and others putting down someone else.   And I couldn’t help but wonder why…

When I was a kid, I had music in my head all the time.  It didn’t matter where I was or what I was doing there was always a song playing.  Now, as strange as this may seem, I was always paranoid that someone else could hear the songs in my head.  I don’t know what made me think that, because I couldn’t hear their music.  But I was always paranoid that on a day that I’m decked out in my Rush shirt they would hear in my head that I’m randomly listening to something else.  Instead of “The Spirit Of Radio” I have “Tragedy” by the Bee Gees stuck in my head.  In truth in my opinion both are good for very different reasons, and at this age I don’t care if someone sees that differently.  They can’t hear the songs in my head.  But when you’re a kid, and image matters, you don’t want to be ridiculed for any reason.  

So I would mentally change the station in my head if there was something different playing than what was expected.  Does it sound crazy?  Sure it does for the time, but I’m sure at this age if that is the least of my problems I’m doing ok.  I was a metal head, and Heaven forbid I’m caught with “Afternoon Delight” by the Starland Vocal Band in my head…  So these songs took on new form in my life, as I’m sure they have in others as well.  They became known as “guilty pleasures” and they were songs that you would listen to only when you were alone, and could enjoy them for the mindless, guilt-free enjoyment that they brought you.  It goes back to when you’re a kid, you feel you have to fit in, or explain everything away so that you don’t end up at the other end of someone’s fist, or the loser table at lunch. 

Statistically, I know that everyone out there has at least a few guilty pleasures in their iPods.  Hell, I have an entire collection like that.  And the reason that I know that everyone has them is this…

As an example… Remember “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice.  Now more recently it has become a retro dance song that still gets airplay, but do you know anyone that actually bought it in 1990? Or more to the point admitted they liked it?  Think hard… thought so…can’t name very many people can you…?

Well, the RIAA [Recording Industry Association Of America] certified the single as “Platinum” for sales of 1,000,000.  So that means that one million people bought it.  In 1990, when the single was released, the population of the United States is listed as 248,709,000.  That would mean statistically 1 person for roughly every 249 bought the single.  Who are these people, and where did they go?  I could name 249 people in my own home town, and I’m willing to bet that none of them would have copped to buying it. 

But the stats show that at least one of them did.  You see, I’m willing to bet that some of them did, and they listened when no one was listening.  And that’s ok.  I’m willing to bet that as they got older they realized that other’s opinions really didn’t matter and they actually played it out loud!... And if you’re like my wife and I, you may have played a song for your kids and then were reminded by them that you’re not cool, and you never were.  Such is parenting in a modern age…  Don’t worry, when they have kids, remember to pull out the soundtrack to “High School Musical” and remind them how much they used to love it, and dance to it.  And make sure their kids know too, because karma works...and it will catch up with them eventually. 

Now one of the biggest guilty pleasures I have ever seen is the often maligned 80’s hair bands.  For my simple research on this one I go back to the DJ shows that I have done.  I note that no matter how buttoned up and conservative the crowd is [especially the female attendees], if you play anything from that era, it can become a free for all.  The same people you just watched gracefully dancing to a romantic song by Van Morrison are now head banging on the dance floor with their shoes off [and occasionally some clothing as well…] and their hair whipping everywhere.  They know the words, they recreate the moves from the videos and they sing at the top of their lungs…sometimes from on top of the chairs or tables. 

Be it Poison, Whitesnake [I have seen someone try and recreate the dancing on the Jaguar on their table…it was not pretty…], Twisted Sister, Winger, Guns ‘N Roses, and even though I don’t really consider them hair metal, Def Leppard.  There’s not a girl in the room that doesn’t know the words to “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and if you throw out “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC, you can pretty much anticipate what’s going to happen.  And as you watch them move you realize that they don’t care who is watching.  And that’s the best part, because they were able to finally let loose and enjoy themselves.

For every listen that someone gives to Metallica’s “Master Of Puppets”…someone in that group is also listening to Madonna, or a Schubert symphony, or Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”.  Or they have a small child and are listening to “The Wheels On The Bus”[over and over and over again…].  In the end it doesn’t really matter.  The point of the music is to uplift your spirits, make you think, maybe teach you something, and in the end become yours, because everyone interprets things differently.  And what you hear might not be what they hear, and vice-versa, but it’s all good.  But only you can decide if you like it, and no one else.  And as far as the image… no one really cares, so why should you?...  You define the image…it doesn’t define you.

So the radio station in my head eventually got a new program director and the format went free-form.  Just today it went like this… Iron Maiden/Gordon Lightfoot/Tommy Tutone/Destiny’s Child [I have to thank my wife for that one…She sang the intro to Bootylicious at the ball fields the other day…]/Dream Theater/Brad Paisley/Stealer’s Wheel/Whitesnake/Loreena McKennitt/England Dan & John Ford Coley/Rush/and Within Temptation, and that was just the first hour.  I’m sure yours was just as diverse, and as much fun.

And that guy on YouTube who said that to be cool you must be a metal head and everything else is cheese… well he’s probably home right now as we speak listening to Yanni.  He just won’t admit it…

Thanks for coming along for the ride…See you soon.

J.

Knock Three Times On The Ceiling…And Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree…Because You Decorated My Life…

When I was about 7 years old we received in the mail a flier for the “Columbia Record & Tape Club”, where you buy roughly 3 million records or tapes [Cassette or 8-Track – Your choice…] for a penny [that you actually taped to the flier and sent back!] and then order every month [usually at a cost equal to the national debt].  And remember, if you didn’t send back your reply card, you received their “Selection Of The Month”, which depending on what category you chose, could be a new version of an old classical piece, conducted by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.  If you chose R&B at the time…it was probably Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. [now solo from the 5^th Dimension] singing “You Don’t Have To Be A Star [To Be In My Show]”. In rock it might have been Aerosmith’s “Toys In The Attic…”  Needless to say, to obtain a penny, and more importantly, the permission to enter this major financial agreement, I had to ask my Mom. 

My Mom was something of a conundrum to me.  If I had to say where my interest in music came from I would have to say it was from her.  Now it wasn’t like she had it on in the house, or listened to it constantly [Dad played WHN remember, and my grandmother preferred 600 AM WICC or 66 [660 AM] WNBC out of NY, with Imus In The Morning], but she had her favorites.  And whenever her favorites would play the area [I remember her talking about seeing Paul Anka or Tony Orlando at the Oakdale Theater when it was still in the round…], she would get excited, albeit quietly, about her idols.  She would drag my dad out to the show and any one of the four Kovacs girls [Robin, Jeannie, Katie or Maryellen] would babysit for us. I could never understand how someone with so much passion for her music could keep it all bottled up, but that was Mom.  She always had something else to worry about or something more pressing at the time. 

She once told me that she wanted to play piano as a child, and that one thing or another prevented her from doing it.  Because of this, whenever she saw my passion for music budding she nurtured it, and in doing so provided me with not only the permission, but the penny to join the club.   Now I won’t say there weren’t times when she may have regretted that decision, particularly when my room was right above the dining room and the volume of music that I would play would rattle the ceiling and shake the chandelier, but she would always somehow let me know it was ok.  Whether it was a smile, or a wink, she told me she got it.  She understood….

We had a turntable in our den.  And I remember playing a copy of the Grease soundtrack [not the movie…the original Broadway recording] and wondering why the songs from the movie were missing.  We had a copy of a Chicago record, and there was one point in 25 Or 6 To 4 where the song always skipped, so I got used to the skip.  Whenever I heard the complete version on the radio, my mind would skip the song… repetition strikes again.  We even had a copy of Cheech & Chong’s “Up In Smoke”, but we couldn’t always play that because of the profanity…  But what I remember the most was the albums my mom liked to hear.  It is these songs that I hear now and can’t help but to think about her. 

She loved “Diana” by Paul Anka, and Bobby Vinton’s “Blue Velvet” and “Roses Are Red”.  Long before Enrique took over as a Latin heartthrob, Julio Iglesias was a favorite in the house.  “Candida” and “Knock Three Times” by Tony Orlando and Dawn would certainly pick up the pace. And when it came to country music there was no one more idolized by Mom than Kenny Rogers.  I think if Kenny Rogers showed up at our house growing up and offered to whisk my Mom away, we’d never hear from her again…it was like that. 

She would play his album and we would sing with it [and usually we’d do it wrong..] Whenever we heard “Lucille”, the line would be “four hungry children and a crop in the field” and we would sing “four hundred children and a crop in the field” and think that was the words.  Math on feeding them all be damned… 

What I remember most is the smile.  She would smile from ear to ear whenever she heard those songs.  She didn’t play them often [or in my opinion, often enough], but when she did she was as happy inside as we could see she was outside.  She allowed me to play everything, and even though some of it drove her nuts, or was too loud, you could still see that it was ok. 

Mom will be gone exactly two years on Wednesday [3/9].  I can’t thank her enough for the influences and guidance that she has had in my life.  She knew I was a little different, and instead of trying to make me fit in with the rest, she let me be me, and knew somehow that the music would get me through.  She knew, because I was a lot like her, but she didn’t want anyone to know it but me…

On Wednesday I will say a prayer for her, and will play some of the music that made her smile as my little tribute to her.  And I will always treasure the moments that we had when she was here, especially the moments after she yelled at me to turn down the music, because I knew in my heart that she would have turned it up too… [Even the ones we got because we forgot to send back the reply card…]

“And you decorated my life, created a world where dreams are a part
And you decorated my life by paintin' your love all over my heart
You decorated my life…”

I Love You Mom.

Joan Marie Fico Finnegan [April 11, 1940-March 9, 2009]

Thanks for coming along for the ride…see you soon…

J.

Talkin’ Bout…Pop Muzik…Talkin’ Bout…Pop Muzik…Shooby Dooby Doo Wop… Rants & Raves & New Releases On The Way…

I had the wonderful opportunity this weekend to DJ a party for a young ladies 18^th birthday.  There were decorations, and cake [who doesn’t love cake…] and relatively well behaved, well dressed young people who danced from the first song to the end… 4 hours later…like it was nothing.  They were a lot of fun, and their energy was boundless.   The most poignant moment for me was when her dad came up and asked for…you guessed it… Free Bird.  Now, laughter ensued when he said it from both him and me, but he explained that it was his way of playing a joke on his daughter.  The inside joke was that he was going to have us play Free Bird during the middle of the party to throw things off, and every time he said it to her she would feign anger and threaten him in some manner.

So as we were finishing up for the night and the kids were disbursing and recovering from the melee we cued up the last request…and called the young lady [whose name is Katelyn] out to the floor where she proceeded to slow dance with her dad to the first portion of the song.  Once they got to the endless guitar solo they broke and laughed and it was a touching moment.  I laughed with them, and then wondered just how quickly the party would have come to a screeching halt if I played it.  I would probably have lost the whole floor. 

We kicked the night off with “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” by Usher [Featuring Pitbull] [You always have to say who is featured, I think it may be contractual, but it does make the Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon game too easy…] and they danced [Not unlike the Hooters did…].  And as the night went on, I started to think how different the music has become in these situations.  And by that I mean “PARTY”… 

Our parties had music…usually the mix of rock and pop that played on the radio, [and for me and my friends the hard rock that didn’t make it to the radio] but I got to thinking it wasn’t the all night dance party that this evening had become.  It didn’t matter if it was a rock song with a dance beat, a dance song with the big poppy chorus, or the rap song that slowed the dancing down to a groove where the kids knew all the words [they filled in the bad ones since I was playing clean versions of everything…].  It was a cornucopia of everything, and it was refreshing to see the kids change tempo and groove so flawlessly. 

What made the difference? I would have to say it was a combination of two things - technology and a severe lack of prejudice in their tastes.  This is the new generation, where the race and creed of a person is less important than whether or not they were cool.  The kids didn’t define their status by such antiquated perspectives, and it allowed them to keep an open mind when listening.  The technology complements this in that every new song may have a shorter lifespan on the radio, but if a new song hits…it’s everywhere. YouTube Videos, iTunes, TV shows [I watched last week’s Hawaii Five-O and the opening scene contained Rihanna’s S&M]. There was also Napster and Limewire, and I have also seen it travel from phone to phone, so that they have it all the time. 

Now I’m not trying to be critical of myself or my generation [talkin’ ‘bout My Generation…]…but we were very closed minded when it came to some of the music that was out there.  In hindsight we grew up with Motown, and R&B, reggae courtesy of the Marley family, and disco. But by the time the backlash of disco waned, the music became very divergent on the radio.  Out of disco we had the punk/new wave movement [and with it the advent of the synthesizer].  “I Want My MTV” meant that we were going to primarily see rock and pop video by mainstream white groups and artists and when a non-Caucasian artist played, it was because they “crossed over” from the R&B chart to the pop chart. 

I don’t believe that we were as ignorant as I am implying here, but we didn’t really see it the mix as we do now.  Now Michael Jackson ruled the world when MTV was in its infancy, and his sister Janet made waves, but they were part of the musical landscape from well before the era of MTV, and were already culturally accepted.  We had Prince, and Whitney. Bobby Brown had gone solo from New Edition, and Chaka Khan still proved she could fill the dance floor.  But there was always an element of segregation in the music.  Now I completely understand when they put Headbanger’s Ball on late Saturday nights.  If you wanted to bang thy head…you could do it without disrupting the regular programming.  And while I would tune in to see Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax or Iron Maiden, you didn’t necessarily have to be privy to that. 

You have to remember, that when The Sugarhill Gang dropped “Rapper’s Delight” on the dance floor, the underground rap movement was just that, underground.  And it took some time for it to bubble up into the mainstream and become a driving force in popular culture.  And for all of you that say [and I used to be guilty of this myself] that to be a rapper you don’t have to be talented…I say you try it.  It’s a lot harder than it looks, and those that are good at it are very good at it.  Run D.M.C. charted with a cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and started the rap-rock genre now regularly mined by artists like Linkin Park. 

This all changed on August 6, 1988.  That was the day that Yo! MTV Raps debuted.  It remains one of the highest charting programs in the MTV line up.  Run D.M.C. hosted, and the first video played was Eric B. & Rakim’s “Follow The Leader”.   And the rest was history.  The program introduced the hip-hop culture to the rest of the globe, and began its meteoric rise to the top of the charts.  There have been setbacks because of violence, and many issues with language and the misogyny that it portrays, but it still remains one of the most popular genres. 

Why does all this come into play here…well doing the math… my 18 year-old birthday girl Katelyn was born in 1993.  By then the rap culture not only sprang up but had roots everywhere.  And this generation grew up knowing which pop tart was on the charts at the time, but also was aware of artists like Ice Cube, and Tupac Shakur, as well as Dr. Dre and Public Enemy.  It was in my opinion this exposure that allowed the acceptance to be so easy in the newer generation… the “millennial” generation as they are called.  So when we follow up “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” with Katy Perry’s “Firework” into Lil’ John or the New Boyz, they don’t blink.  They just change rhythms, change tempos and go with it.  I never thought my DJ job would actually get easier, but in fact it has, simply because the crowds are more accepting, of the changes in music, and each other.  Not to climb on my soapbox but if you want to see racism wane in America, keep watching the successive generations learn to grow with each other, and not against.  And I would also recommend you let them dance…

And remember…the next time you criticize a rapper for lack of talent…see how fast you can make a fool out of yourself trying to imitate them… And pull your pants up…please…

New Voices…

Let me proclaim that my new favorite female vocalist on the planet is Skylar Grey.  Originally christened Holly Brook Hafermann in 1986 in Mazomanie, WI.  She moved to L.A. in 2003 and was signed to Machine Shop Recordings and sang on Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda’s song Where’d You Go.  She released her first album in 2006 and also wrote parts of the song and demo’d her vocals on “Love The Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rihanna.  She is currently featured in Diddy/Dirty Money’s “Coming Home” as well as Dr. Dre’s “I Need A Doctor” with Eminem.  She reminds me a little of Dido, with an ethereal sounding voice.  Definitely check her out.  She’s got a new album in the works… I’ll be looking for it…

Adele is anther voice that you can just close your eyes and listen… Her single “Rolling In The Deep” is making some waves on the charts…

New Releases…

I must give props to Mr. Big for resurrecting melodic hard rock.  These guys reformed and their new release “What If…” just dropped stateside.  Great melodies and some of the most fantastic playing you will hear this year. Bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Paul Gilbert’s interplay is amazing, particularly on the track “Around The World”.  It doesn’t sound dated, and Kevin Shirley’s production is just the touch they needed.  Shirley recorded most of the record in a live setting and really captured the energy of this band… definitely worth checking out.  The first single is “Undertow”…

Coming soon to a [you pick the medium]….

3/8/11 – Billy Joel [Live At Shea], R.E. M. [Collapse Into Now], Avril Lavigne [Goodbye Lullaby], Simon & Garfunkel [40^th Anniversary re-release Bridge Over Troubled Water], Children Of Bodom [Relentless Reckless Forever], Asia [Spirit Of The Night – Live], Sara Evans [Stronger]

3/15/11 – Lady Gaga [Born This Way –EP], Rise Against [Endgame], Travis Barker [Give The Drummer Some], Steve Vai [Essential], Rick Springfield [Essential], Whitesnake [Forevermore], Mastodon [Live At The Aragon] J. Mascis [Several Shades Of Why]

3/22/11 - Green Day [Awesome As F**k], The Strokes [Angles], Adam Lambert [Glam Nation Live], Duran Duran [All You Need Is Now], Jennifer Hudson [I Remember Me], Joe Bonamassa [Dust Bowl], Panic! At The Disco [Vices & Virtues], Soundgarden [Live On I-5], Rainbow [Rising –Deluxe re-release], Josh Kelley [Georgia Clay], Tommy Shaw [Great Divide],

3/28/11 - Radiohead [The King Of Limbs], Britney Spears [Femme Fatale], Within Temptation [The Unforgiving], Florence + The Machine [Between Two Lungs], Los Lonely Boys [Rockpango], Wiz Khalifa [Rolling Papers], Marillion [Live From Cadogan Hall]

Just remember to let them dance...

Thanks for coming along for the ride…see you soon.

J.